By Ruth Brook
Diaspora, coming from the Greek word diaspeirō meaning “I scatter” has been placed under the semantic microscope time and time again. Scrutinized and subjected to a gamut of connotations, ranging from the most negative to the most positive; to call it a buzzword would be to undersell its status in both the media and literary worlds.
‘Diaspora season’ is upon us’ I’m told, as we sit in the thick of the Ethiopian holiday season. Beating the holiday traffic only slightly – arriving here in October – I have somewhat assimilated to the do’s and don’ts of our nation’s capital. The infamous “chigir yelem” has made its way into my daily vernacular but the exaggerated taxi rates I am quoted have me assured that I am far from being considered a local.
As memorable as it was, my time in Ethiopia during my childhood was consumed in sips; and while I am very well versed in the taxing activity that is bathing with a bucket and pail (when there is no running water) or having dinners by candlelight during a power outage, I never saw these as inconveniences.
Perhaps because of the comfort in knowing that my situation was only temporary, my acquired fluency in these less than desirable situations served merely as an added bonus to the anecdotes I would share on the playground at school in the fall. In hindsight, it seems our vacations were (almost strategically) never quite long enough for these activities to lose their ‘charm’. Instead, they remained hidden in a Trojan horse of ‘summer adventure’.
So, I ask myself, can I really wax poetic about a country when the maximum amount of time I have spent here is four months at a time? The jury is still out on that one.
As a member of this sometimes notorious diaspora club; my thoughts are running in a hamster wheel of questions. In the midst of frequently hearing fumbled Amharic parallel to my own during this holiday season, this question perpetually stays on my mind. “What is the diaspora responsibility? Is there such a thing?”
Seemingly answering my internal queries are the continuous efforts made by the government of Ethiopia to reverse the frequent exodus to the West. An influx back to Ethiopia is being welcomed in the form of social and economic development projects despite a major roadblock – denied access to dual citizenship.
The Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund (EDTF) is one such example. The nonprofit organization is one of the first structured initiatives organized by the Ethiopian government to “directly involve diaspora from all walks of life”. It encourages members to commit to donating one dollar a day to supporting development initiatives in Ethiopia. The funds raised by the organization aim to finance projects that will meet the need of some of Ethiopia’s most pressing demands.
The organization called out to members of the diaspora to come up with projects that will have a positive influence on communities in need. Proposals from 22 finalists were recently selected by EDTF, showing a myriad of potential organizations contributing to the development of water sanitation, education, employment and rehabilitation for persons with disabilities to name a few.
In the business and economics sectors, the new diaspora fueled Selam Bank is preparing for its launch as the second mortgage bank in Ethiopia. Furthermore, the recent call for the establishment of an Economic Council of Advisors by the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted the importance of council members representing Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian origin- seemingly an invitation to the Ethiopian diaspora.
Although we might not all be at the stage of financing grandiose endeavors and nonprofit organizations, there are different ways we can serve our country namely, the transference of acquired knowledge and volunteering with homegrown organizations and communities to name a couple.
With projects like these showing the positive impact and growth that can result from opening up the door to the diaspora community, it begs the question, why not take the unification process one step further and make dual citizenship an option?
While all of these examples show that diaspora engagement is increasing, marriage is far from sight. The diaspora contribution comes with its limitations, due to the absence of dual citizenship, fueling an “us vs. them” complex. In order to fully realize the diaspora potential, the absence of the opportunity for dual citizenship should be addressed.
The diaspora journal
Time is money
I have lived and worked in different parts of Africa for many years now, including in Ethiopia. I have come to learn, appreciate and love much of what Ethiopia has to offer, like the hospitality of the people, the history, the food, music & dance, traditional dress, the nature and its wildlife. The one thing however, that I cannot seem to adjust to is the Abasha Katero. This phenomenon keeps catching me by surprise. I always turn up too early. The other person almost always comes too late. There are many excuses: the traffic, there was a meeting, somebody came to see me, etc. So, there is often something more pressing, more important, than making sure to arrive on time for an appointment. It has puzzled me for many years why this is so. Why is it, that I focus on one issue (that important appointment for instance), while the other person seems to be immersed in many activities at the same time, in seemingly chaos, and therefore not making it in time for any of them. I feel offended, the other person feels content to have made it amidst all other issues to attend to.
But where does this leave us when we want to do business with people who have “Time is money” written on the foreheads? Where does this leave us while in many other parts of the world people work around the clock to produce, to fill containers for export, to get information, to meet others, look for business and export opportunities? Behind, most probably.
So, let us try to understand our potential foreign business partner a bit better. We call him John. John comes from a country, where he has learnt to focus on the future. He has learnt to plan ahead and work to make things better tomorrow than they are now, his business for example. It is useful for John to look back, to learn from mistakes in the past, again to do it better this time around. John likes to get one thing done at the time and from there move on to the next. John comes from a culture, referred to as sequential. John has now come to Ethiopia to look for business opportunities and has an appointment with somebody we will call Abebe. They agreed to meet for coffee at 10 (is that 4 or is that 10?). Abebe even confirmed their appointment early in the morning by telephone. All is set, according to John. He will spend an hour or so with Abebe, during which they will go over the details of their business contract. At 11.30 John should be leaving for the airport to check in for his return flight.
Abebe arrives half an hour late, with a big smile on his face, extending his arm to greet John, while talking to somebody else on his mobile telephone. After he closes his handset, Abebe explains that he was about to leave his office, when a friend dropped by to talk to him. John feels very upset. Why couldn’t Abebe tell his friend to come back later and why does he keep his mobile telephone on standby? John has not yet understood that in Ethiopia, it is not done to show the door to an unexpected visitor. Remember that relationships are important here, more important than keeping time. Ethiopians are also used to handle several matters at the same time. This is what is referred to in literature as a synchronic or polychromic culture. Several issues can be attended to at the same time. We all experience this when going to the bank, buying an airline ticket, going to a government office or even to the clinic. We are never the only client to be attended to at the same time. Giving time to an unexpected visitor or caller is more important than keeping a schedule and Abebe will not offend him or her by saying that he doesn’t have time because he has an appointment somewhere else. Meanwhile John feels offended because he doesn’t receive the attention, he feels he deserves. John will do well to learn a bit more about the Ethiopian way and add a few days to his tight schedule, if he wants to do business here. He may or may not find the time though…
If Abebe is equally interested in doing business with John, my advice to Abebe is to realise that John will feel offended when he is not given full attention during the time agreed on earlier. Abebe will do well to focus on John, on the potential of the business deal, on the contract, on planning and strategising to make it happen. Keep your promises when agreeing on deadlines, deliver the goods in time. Don’t agree if you cannot make it. Not delivering on time may upset an entire supply chain, affecting international marketing. Meet Abebe in your office, so that you are already there. A cup of coffee and a copy of the work you prepared for the appointment will keep him happy if you still need to attend to somebody else. Make sure though, that John is not having his “soostenia buna” before you invite him in.
ton.haverkort@gmail.com
Henok Kinfe
Name: Henok Kinfe
Education: Diploma
Company name: Wake up coffee
Title: Owner
Founded in: 2019
What it does: Coffee roasting and packaging
HQ: Addis Ababa
Number of employees: Two
Startup Capital: 250,000 birr
Current capital: Growing
Reasons for starting the business: Previous experience on the filed
Biggest perk of ownership: Creating opportunity for others
Biggest strength: Self confidence
Biggest challenging: Capital
Plan: To export coffee
First career: Graphics designer
Most interested in meeting: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
Most admired person: My father
Stress reducer: Reading motivational books and praying
Favorite past time: Browsing the internet
Favorite book: Bible
Favorite destination: India
Favorite automobile: Toyota Tundra
ART FAITH AND FEELINGS
“…both natural and artistic beauty is capable of evoking what is called the sense of transcendence…” Southwestern Baptist University.
Albert Einstein said, “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree, all these aspirations are directed towards ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individuals towards freedom.” Further and according to Southwest Baptist University (SBU) in Missouri’s Religion and Art Introduction, “The arts have always been used to express the divine, e.g., in Christian liturgical services. Indeed, if reality has a divine origin then whatever is part of it must be germane or at least analogous to the divine. Generally, the arts, due to their strong emotional impact and ability to act immediately and directly upon our perception, prior to conceptual thinking, can enhance any area of experience, including religious experience. Specifically, both natural and artistic beauty is capable of evoking what is called the sense of transcendence, or the presence of some deeper (divine) principles in the world. Art and beauty are immediately pleasing but the reasons for this are unclear. This means that the rules and principles of art are beyond us or transcend us: possibly indicating the presence of a higher principle (e.g., the divine) in the universe. The arts are used for these purposes by most religious traditions, but specifically in the Christian tradition by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions.”
A perfect example of the impact of religion and art is Ethiopia’s colorful Timket celebration attracting devotees and tourist from all over the country and world for that matter to Addis Abeba, Axum, Lalibella and Gondar in particular. Timket, as most avid may readers know, is the Ethiopian Epiphany, marking the baptism of Yeshua the Christ by Yohannes in the River Jordan. It is indeed a truly awesome and moving sight and experience, evoking great emotion and veneration. The joyous occasion is marked by spiritual songs synchronized movements/dances and colorful processions around the carrying of the Tabot, a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. But does the average individual correlate art and religion in the emotional sense?
As we unpack SBU’s notion of that art can enhance the religious experience, undoubtedly artistic elements of Timket add to the experience of the celebration. The sight of hundreds of white robbed priests waving their wooden praying stick, designed with ornate metals meskels, also carried by the Ethiopian priests and monks during the long-lasting ceremonies, is in itself an art piece. Then there are the colorful umbrellas carried over the Tabot for miles to and from the churches which form miles long processions of devotees who share in the euphoria of faith, hope and prayer with little concern for tired feet after the long journey. The drums and other artistic elements seal the event as they provide sounds and sights that keep worshippers in synch with their spirituality. One may say the vibrant nature of the ceremony assuages of any feelings of weariness throughout the 3 day event.
As to SBU’s assertion, “… both natural and artistic beauty is capable of evoking what is called the sense of transcendence, or the presence of some deeper (divine) principles…”. I see this every day in our beloved Ethiopia. Hence in my eyes I view Timket as a symbol of Ethiopians deep, abiding and unshakable faith against all odds. The imagery and pageantry however, allow the faithful to share and reinforce the hopes and aspirations of a renewed spirit of love. The optics of the unity and solidarity evoked by Timket ceremonies is an art and a moment in time that many capture in paintings, photos and videos representing the culture of Ethiopia and not just religion. That said, Timket more than qualifies to be considered an UNESCO intangible cultural heritage event. And as to Einstein’s sentiments, we pray and hope that art, science and religion do take us into higher moral existence and can help us heal old wounds in our ancient land while providing a renewed sense of faith for brotherly and sisterly love. H.I.M. Qadamawi Haile Selassie reminds us that, “Spirituality is a network linking us to the Most High, the universe and each other. As the essence of our existence it embodies our culture, true identity, nationhood and destiny.” Melkam Timket!!!
Dr. Desta Meghoo is a Jamaican born
Creative Consultant, Curator and cultural promoter based in Ethiopia since 2005. She also serves as Liaison to the AU for the Ghana based, Diaspora African Forum.
